Utility Week

4 | 22ND - 28TH JUNE 2018 | UTILITY WEEK Seven days... India facing worst ever water crisis India is facing the worst water crisis in its history, with around 600 million people at risk of acute water shortage, according to a govern- ment think-tank. The Niti Aayog report, which analyses data from 24 of India's 29 states, said the crisis is "only going to get worse" in the years ahead. As cities and towns grow, the pressure on urban water resources is expected to increase. It is esti- mated that demand will be twice as much as available supply by 2030. According to the report, policy- makers face a difficult situation because there is not enough data available on how households and industries use and manage water. BBC News, 15 June EU approves Fortum's purchase of Uniper The European Commission has granted unconditional approval for Finnish group Fortum's purchase of German energy company Uniper. The multibillion-euro deal has been cleared despite Uni- per's repeated attempts to reject the offer. Uniper's parent company, Eon, confirmed in January it would sell its 47 per cent share in the firm to Fortum for €22 a share, generating proceeds of about €3.8 billion. Financial Times, 15 June Blackout in Crimea after 'electrical surge' at Russian power station Crimea suffered a total power blackout following an incident at a Russian power station, local authorities and the Russian ministry of energy confirmed. Crimean prime minister Sergei Aksyonov said the power outage had been caused by a surge in electricity at a power station in Taman, southern Russia, triggering an automatic shutdown. Sky News, 13 June STORY BY NUMBERS National media Ofwat's Beast from the East report finds firms wanting O fwat this week published its report on the water sector's response to the so-called Beast from the East severe weather front, which hit much of Britain in February and March and le more than 200,000 customers without water for more than four hours. Tens of thousands were le off supply for days. The review found that although some water companies were well prepared for the severe weather – which had been fore- cast – others performed badly, causing significant hardship to their customers. Working closely with the Con- sumer Council for Water (CCWa- ter), Ofwat's review heard from a wide range of affected customers including households, schools, businesses and local authorities. Ofwat found too many incidences of poor advance planning, inadequate commu- nication with customers and a lack of basic support, such as bottled water. Research by CCWater sug- gests that almost three-quarters of customers affected did not receive alternative supplies of water. In some cases, they were le to fend for themselves or depend on the support of local bodies or volunteers. Following the review, Ofwat is requiring four water compa- nies – Thames Water, Severn Trent, Southern Water, and South East Water – to submit detailed, externally audited, action plans setting out how they will address the issues identified. The plans must be submitted by 28 September. Ofwat said it would take further action against any water company that provided an unsatisfactory response. "The freeze and rapid thaw earlier this year was forecast and was not unprecedented," said Ofwat chief executive Rachel Fletcher. Responding to the review, Water UK said it planned to work closely with the industry to act on Ofwat's recommenda- tions and ensure customers are less likely to be hit by supply interruptions. NB Battery innovation The government's Faraday Challenge has announced details of its latest round of funding for battery innova- tion projects. The initiative launched in July last year. £22m Amount awarded to battery innovation projects in the latest round of funding 12 Number of battery innovation projects to receive funding £246m Total fund government has pledged for the Faraday Challenge £45m Value of competi- tion to establish a national battery institute to aid commercialisation of innovative tech £4.7bn Amount invested in the government's Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund "We urge the UK government to follow suit and provide a level playing field for diverse investors in solar power as soon as possible." Solar Trade Association chief executive Chris Hewett applauds the EU's revised Renewable Energy Directive, which comes into force in June 2021.

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